Man charged with attempted murder after child falls from balcony

Image source, Bloomington Police Department via Reuters

Image caption, US media say Mr Aranda has a previous record of disturbances at same mall

A US man has been arrested after a five-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries from being pushed or thrown off a balcony at a shopping centre.

The boy tumbled two storeys from the balcony at Minnesota's Mall of America.

The suspect, Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, 24, has been charged with attempted murder.

, but was not known to the victim or his family.

He stressed he believed the incident was "isolated" and said there was no wider threat to the public.

Police say they initially responded to a report at 10:17 local time (15:17 GMT) on Friday that a child had fallen down from a balcony at the shopping centre in the city of Bloomington.

However, witnesses at the scene described the child being thrown or pushed by a man.

Mr Aranda fled but was arrested by officers elsewhere at the shopping centre's metro and bus transit station.

Police say the boy was given first aid at the scene and was then transported to a local hospital.

No further information has been released about the child's condition or identity.